


The Long Road to Redemption

by aklaino89



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Ending, Ending Fix, Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:54:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23115787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aklaino89/pseuds/aklaino89
Summary: Rey didn't die, so Ben Solo didn't sacrifice himself to save her. Now, he has to face the consequences of his actions as Kylo Ren, surrendering himself to do so. An alternate ending to Rise of Skywalker.
Kudos: 1





	The Long Road to Redemption

Ben Solo rose out of the hole he had fallen into, hoping that the worst hadn’t happened. Upon climbing out, he found Rey, standing there alone in front of the remains of the throne, Palpatine nowhere to be seen, having been vanquished. The dark arena was in shambles, scattered with debris and dead cultists in the stands.

She turned around and faced him, still alive, giving him a smile. She was somehow protected from the Emperor’s attacks and had no scratch on her.

He knew what he had to do. He grabbed the pair of cuffs he had found in the TIE he had taken from Kef Bir to Exegol from his belt and put them on his wrists, cuffing himself.

“I surrender,” he told her, eliciting a look of shock from the young woman.

…

It took longer than he had hoped. Since neither of them had come in vehicles with more than one seat, Rey had to call the _Millennium Falcon_ to pick the two of them up. The old freighter came down through the thick clouds, landing in front of them and opening its ramp. Rey moved forward with Ben, leading him onto the _Falcon_ where they came face to face with Lando.

“It’s been a long time, kid,” the old man said, a look of sadness on his face. Still, the man rushed forward and embraced Ben in a hug.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” the former Knight of Ren said. He got no response from Lando, who broke the embrace after a few seconds before standing to the side as Rey led him onto the ship.

A part of him wished to knock the others out before running off to either the X-Wing or the TIE Fighter that were nearby, fleeing to parts unknown, but he had to face this. He had to face what he had done and the effects it had on the rest of the Galaxy, even if it meant his death.

There he was, former Jedi padawan and current Supreme Leader of the First Order. He had an idea that would make the transition of power for the rest of the Galaxy just a little bit easier, but he wasn’t sure if anyone in the Resistance or who had fought at Exegol would let him. Rey led him toward a couple of chairs near the old dejarik table.

He remembered playing on that thing ages before, back before he ruined everything. Back before he trained with Luke even.

The thought of his uncle briefly brought up anger inside of him. Rey glanced at him as he sat down.

“Is everything alright?” she asked.

He nodded, the numbness overtaking him. Forgiveness was the path of a Jedi, so he supposed he should forgive his uncle. It was just so hard.

Looking back, though, he realized the man hadn’t truly tried to kill him. Sure, he had woken up with a lightsaber ignited above him, but he didn’t truly know what was happening. Maybe his uncle was tempted by something he sensed in him in a momentary lapse of judgement. Temptations can be strong sometimes, even overwhelming.

He wished he could go back and ask his uncle, but he couldn’t. He had been manipulated by Snoke for all those years and wanted at least some closure.

He hoped what he was about to do would at least help, even if it didn’t undo the horrible things he had done.

“So, we headed back to base?” Lando asked Rey.

“Yes, I suppose so,” Rey replied, looking down before looking back at Ben. He could sense her discomfort, but he knew an apology wouldn’t be enough. Not for her, nor for Lando, nor for the entire Galaxy.

True, he tried to prevent some of the First Order’s worst excesses over his year of rule. But he still dominated a galaxy that didn’t want their rule and couldn’t control the actions of those running his armies. The New Republic, despite its gridlock and power struggles, was at least not oppressive. The First Order, on the other hand…

Lando headed back to the cockpit. Ben saw Chewie glance out of it uncomfortably. He wouldn’t have blamed the Wookie if he had come out and torn him apart.

The trip through hyperspace was uneventful after the trip through the nebula between the jump point and Exegol. It approached the world the Resistance base was on and landed. In all that time, Ben Solo reflected on everything. The more he thought about what was to come, the more he was scared about what would happen. But at the same time, he realized more and more that it had to happen, for the sake of the Galaxy if anything.

The _Falcon_ landed and Ben stood up, sweating. A part of him wished he could have just left, but he smothered those feelings. Still, they persisted.

But he refused. Rey got up with him and led him down the ramp. The Resistance awaited. Most of them had returned to their base after the battle, though some had stayed behind to find answers and investigate the ruins of the Final Order.

Walking down the ramp, he came face to face with Poe Dameron, the pilot he had interrogated on the _Finalizer_ a year before. Alongside him was that renegade stormtrooper. FN-2187, was it? He barely remembered, though he knew the traitor went by Finn those days. There were numerous other Resistance members surrounding the _Falcon_ as well of multiple species, including several guards who flanked him on all sides.

“I surrender to the Resistance and the remnants of the New Republic,” Ben told them.

…

The broadcast went all over the Galaxy, a simple projection of Ben Solo between Poe Dameron and Rey. “This is Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader of the First Order,” he started. “As of now, I am ordering all First Order ships to surrender to any worlds they have under their control. From this day forward, I am dissolving the First Order.”

The message spread out far and wide, reaching distant worlds. The reactions were varied among the First Order and while some accepted it and did as Kylo Ren commanded, many others rejected the order. However, the capture of the Supreme Leader did cause morale to plummet across the board, though some officers doubled down on their control of the worlds or sectors they governed.

At the same time, the message caused the inhabitants of the Galaxy to rise, taking advantage of the lapse in morale and the lack of most of the First Order’s leadership to strike.

Over the following months, the Galaxy fell apart. Despite the downfall of the First Order, the New Republic was still no more and only a handful of the remaining politicians intended to bring it back. The closest thing to a successor state to the New Republic was the Commonwealth, a coalition of worlds in the Core and Colonies with some members in the Rim such as Mon Cala. Several former First Order officers became warlords, which the Resistance started hunting down.

Even more factions emerged, such as the New Confederacy, one in size comparable to the Commonwealth. Still other worlds decided they’d be better off independent, at least until things became more stable.

Rey found several other Force-sensitives and started up her own iteration of the Jedi Order, hoping this time things would turn out better. Among those she recruited were Finn, the former stormtrooper and Ezra Bridger, a Jedi Kylo Ren tried hunting down to no avail.

Poe Dameron soon found himself aligned with the Commonwealth until the Resistance was absorbed into its military and he was put in charge of a fleet including his former allies from the Resistance, now with the rank of General. He named his flagship, a Mon Calimari Cruiser, the _Organa._ His first officer was Commander Kaydel Ko Connix.

During all this, Ben Solo still lived, sentenced to prison on Coruscant by the last remaining senators of the New Republic. He was nearly sentenced to death, but Rey’s account of his help against Palpatine swayed them to be more lenient, placing him in a cell in a maximum-security prison in one of the planet’s highest towers.

Ben could break out if he wanted to, but he wouldn’t. Over time, he gradually moved further and further away from the Dark Side, avoiding anger, trying his best to control himself. He also kept himself busy.

His days were spent reading, learning and taking advantage of the prison gym. He avoided conflicts with the other prisoners as much as possible, despite their being hardened criminals. He studied the Jedi texts deeply, searching for wisdom from their pages.

Time flew by.

He kept up his routine, fighting off dark impulses that still came across his mind. He was achieving peace, even though he was probably going to be stuck in that prison for life.

Then one day, he had a visit from someone entirely unexpected.

He returned from the prison library, walking through the white halls and into the cell, shutting the glass door behind him. He had a pair of books on early First Republic and Old Republic history on locked datapads in his hands, ready to go over some of the more mysterious parts of the past. He had a few eras in mind, such as the Mandalorian Wars or the Pius Dea Crusades, hoping to learn from the successes and failures of the past. He sat down at the table he had in his cell to read but looked up to see someone else in his room.

“Hello, Ben,” Luke Skywalker said, a slight, sad smile on his face, sitting on Ben’s bed.

“No,” Ben said, standing up. He felt a wave of mixed emotions. A part of him felt anger at what had happened years before in the hut before the destruction of the Jedi temple, but he worked to hold it down. “What are you…”

Luke stood up, the ethereal blue surrounding him giving him an otherworldly appearance. “I’m just here to make amends. I’m sorry I acted rashly all those years ago. I should have handled it much better than I did.”

Ben just stood there. “I’m sorry about what happened. I…”

“I know you didn’t kill my other students,” Luke told him. “I know Snoke was behind that. I’m sorry, I should have tried helping you more. I should have stopped Snoke’s influence better.”

Ben was silent.

“Uncle Luke, it’s okay,” he said after a few seconds before glancing out of his cell to make sure no one was watching. No one was. Finally, he said one thing he wasn’t expecting to have the opportunity to after all that time. “I forgive you.”

Luke nodded before smiling. He glanced out the window toward the distant spires of Coruscant. Ben looked in the direction his uncle did, spotting the old Jedi Temple from before the purge. “I hope the Jedi flourish.”

“They will, with Palpatine’s influence finally gone,” Ben replied. “If I weren’t here because of what I did, I would help.”

“That’s good to hear, Ben,” Luke replied. “Maybe someday you’ll end up on probation.”

“Perhaps in another twenty years,” Ben remarked.

Luke paused for a second. “I hope it doesn’t take that long. I’m sure Rey will try to get you out to help with the new Jedi. Of course, you never know with those bureaucrats on the Commonwealth Senate.” Then his uncle smiled. “But in the meantime, you seem to be doing what you should.”

“Thank you, uncle,” Ben said.

“Well, I guess I’m off,” Luke told him. “I have things to do, places to go, people to visit.”

“I hope this isn’t the last time I see you, Uncle Luke,” Ben said.

“I’ll come back and visit. So will your mother,” Luke replied, showing a grin. “See you around, kid.”

With that, the Force Ghost disappeared, and Ben was all alone again. He glanced at the datapads on his table and started reading.

…

A while later, a guard came up to the entrance to his cell and knocked. This brought Ben out of his concentration, since he was busy reading about the Revanchist and his fall, meditating on ways he could avoid falling into the same traps. He turned toward the guard, who pressed a button on the side.

“You have a visitor,” the man said. He was wearing blue armor and a helmet that obscured his profile, covering the upper half of his face. He also had red skin and a white circular goatee around his mouth. Ben recognized the species as a near-human Zeltron. He got up and followed the guard out of the cell though the complex, glancing up to see the numerous cells and walkways above and below. Even after a year in this place, it still astounded him how many prisoners there were, many of them from the crime syndicates or the First Order.

Then again, it was a big galaxy and this was far from the only installation of its type, even in Commonwealth space. The guard led him into the visitor area and stopped in front of a door.

“A reminder: any hostile act will result in you being put down. Am I clear?” the guard informed him sternly. He did so every time.

“Very,” Ben said in response, and the guard pressed a button on the side of the door. The guard was right about measures being put in to take him out if he were to try something. There were small, less-than-obvious blaster turrets in all four corners of the room and one very obvious camera on the opposite end of the room from the entrance.

But that wasn’t what his eyes locked onto when he entered. Instead, they went straight for his visitor, who was none other than Rey.

“Hello, Rey,” he said, pulling a chair out and sitting across from the brunette. “How have you been?”

“Fine. I’ve been incredibly busy lately,” Rey told him, a slight smile on her face. “What about you?”

“I had a visit from my uncle, earlier,” Ben said, earning a look of surprise from the Jedi Knight across from him.

“He visited you? How did that go?” Rey asked. Ben could feel her curiosity.

“I think we settled things. I forgave him for his mistakes, and he forgave me for mine,” Ben said. He felt sad then, wishing he could have resolved everything far sooner while his uncle was alive.

“That’s great,” Rey said, smiling widely. “Have you been studying the Jedi texts?”

“I have every day,” Ben replied. “Your translation’s a little dry, but I learned enough Old High Galactic to get something out of the originals. There’s a lot of wisdom in there.”

“There is, isn’t there?” Rey said. “The Jedi went so far astray in the end.”

“I think Luke could have made a great order if things hadn’t fallen apart,” Ben agreed.

Rey nodded.

The two of them continued talking. Rey told Ben about the Jedi she had been training alongside Ezra, while Ben told her about his interactions with the other inmates and his struggles to put the Dark Side behind him.

“Are you still drawn to it?” Rey asked, hints of concern in her voice.

“Nowhere near as much as I used to be. I felt it flare up when my uncle visited me in my cell, but other than that…”

“You’re improving quite a bit,” Rey said in approval, a smile coming across her face.

“Little by little,” Ben said. “I’m far less likely to turn back, though I want to be absolutely sure.”

“I’m sure with Palpatine’s influence gone, it’s much easier,” Rey suggested.

“It is, but my fall wasn’t only due to Palpatine or Snoke,” Ben said, glancing at his hands. There were so many things that could have gone better in his life. “He did influence me, but I still have myself to blame for turning, for giving in.”

“But it wasn’t all your fault,” Rey assured him, placing her hand on his in a comforting gesture. He still felt so much guilt for what he had done.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Ben said. “I could have worked so much harder to fight it. I was such an idiot. I let myself fall so far.”

The two of them continued sitting there, switching between conversations and brief moments of silence until visiting time was up and Rey had to leave.

After that, Ben returned to his cell, thinking about the past, the future and everything else. He thought about his family. His parents who he would never see again and the regrets he had. His uncle, who lived on as part of the Force along with his mother. He wished he could be with them again, eating dinner together, enjoying life with them.

But he couldn’t change the past, so he had to work hard to make the future better than what he had left behind. His occasional visits from Rey certainly helped, and he hoped they would continue. Maybe together they could make things better, for him and for the Galaxy at large.

He just had to continue. He had a long road ahead of him, but the important thing was that he was moving forward, and he would keep moving.


End file.
